Piercing the Firmament

“God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between water and water.’ So God made the firmament, and separated between the waters which were beneath the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so” (Genesis 1:6-7)

On the second day of creation, God assembled the firmament “in the midst of the waters”, and let it separate “between water and water”. He determined that the heavens were to be found in the realm above the firmament, and that the earth was to be found below it- thus designating an unequivocal separation between the heavens and the earth. And although many would assume that the “firmament” is simply an allusion to the atmosphere that envelops our planet, the buried significance of the aforementioned quote becomes truly delineated when the reader submits to the perception that the “firmament” is a wholly spiritual phenomenon. The firmament is best understood as a symbolic representation of the inconceivable border that cleaves any possible synergy between the spiritual realm and the physical realm, and among the various creations that God had bestowed upon us heretofore, the firmament lacks the declaration of its “goodness”- indicating that the existence of the firmament persists as contrary to God’s essence. For light, the land and the seas, vegetation, the sun and the moon, for sea creatures and for animals, and for humanity, God saw that it was good, but the firmament is left out of the preceding collective. The Midrash proclaims that the division of the waters represents strife and discord, which could only occur “when the bonds that unite people are broken”. Since schism and dispute are not necessarily “good” occurrences, it makes sense as to why God did not see the firmament as good. That which is “not good” is separate from the essence of God, but this inaugurates the following question: “How could God create the firmament only for it to negate the essence of its creator?”.

Water is pure, it is indicative of clarity, it is responsible for all life on earth, and it is also the metaphorical substance that is present before and after the conception of the firmament. For God, water is characteristic of all existence, as the spiritual and physical realms are condensed into merely “water and water”. So according to the perspective of God, “water” is the ideal of what existence ought to be, but He also states that an inherently spiritual phenomena, or substance, is able to exist within materiality, and that it is also able to exist in equilibrium with immateriality. This is contradictory, but I believe that it is intentional; for the firmament was created to be pierced, God thrives within this contradiction and it is how the universe continues to exist. The firmament exemplifies the disconnection between materiality and immateriality, while the piercing of the firmament epitomizes an immaterial source, concept, or essence subsisting within the lower realm. A miracle is simply that which pierces the firmament (Although, we must recognize that there are miracles occurring at all junctures in time, and that we must not confound unscientific and supernatural activity as being the only instances of “miracles”, for the recognition of a miracle is entirely dependent upon our internal perspectives. If they are not adequately functioning, then it would be impossible to perceive the miracles which transpire in everyday life), and that which radiates God’s light directly from Him into the lower realm. Consequently, each divine intervention or divine causation is a direct and fundamental example of piercing the firmament, meaning that the totality of the Torah, the literal contents of the book, the manifestation of it into our reality, and the bestowing of the Torah to Israel on Mount Sinai are all deliberate instances of the firmament being pierced. Each second of time that passes is another occurrence where the piercing of the firmament persists, for creation and the maintenance of creation itself is sourced from God. The formation of light, the land and the seas, the sun and the moon, sea creatures and animals, and of humanity, pierces the firmament. The birth of a child is another instance of the firmament being pierced, for a soul is delivered from the heavens above. Lastly, the creation and appreciation of art allows humans to pierce the firmament, for it allows God’s light to be manifested into materiality, then to be appreciated as beauty.

The firmament was a necessary creation, but the intention of its creation was for it to be continuously pierced, and then eventually destroyed. Fulfilling the aforementioned task allows an individual to connect with God and act through his will, while strengthening the relationship with Him above, the earth itself, and with the individual’s own soul. Essentially, get off your silly computer and start cutting!!